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Tag: 2026
July 28, 2025
William Upton
Politics

Project 2025 Architect Paul Dans Set to Challenge Neocon Lindsey Graham.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Former Trump White House and Heritage Foundation staffer Paul Dans who led the pro-America First Project 2025, is set to announce a primary challenge to Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Paul Dans, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), President Donald J. Trump, former South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer (R-SC).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Dans is set to announce his primary bid at an event in Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “What we’ve done with Project 2025 is really change the game in terms of closing the door on the progressive era. If you look at where the chokepoint is, it’s the United States Senate. That’s the headwaters of the swamp.” — Paul Dans

🎯IMPACT: The entry of Dans into the Republican Senate primary marks one of the most serious challenges Graham has faced since being elected to the seat in 2002. Dans’s America First bona fides draw a stark contrast to Graham’s pro-establishment history, especially regarding amnesty for illegal immigrants and foreign wars.

IN FULL

Paul Dans, a former Trump White House and Heritage Foundation staffer who oversaw the development of Project 2025, is set to announce he will challenge Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in the 2026 South Carolina Republican primary. Dans will officially announce the primary challenge on Wednesday in Charleston, South Carolina, joining the Senate race, which includes Graham and former South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer (R-SC).

“What we’ve done with Project 2025 is really change the game in terms of closing the door on the progressive era,” Dans said in a recent media interview, adding: “If you look at where the chokepoint is, it’s the United States Senate. That’s the headwaters of the swamp.”

The former White House official and Heritage Foundation staffer emphasized that Graham has spent most of his career in Washington, D.C., being more representative of the political establishment than the voters of South Carolina. “It’s time to show him the door,” Dans declared.

Sen. Graham has served in Congress for over 30 years. The South Carolina Republican, best known for his aggressively hawkish neoconservative foreign policy, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 as part of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s “Republican Revolution.” Subsequently, in 2002, Graham was elevated to the U.S. Senate, succeeding Strom Thurmond.

During his tenure in Congress, Sen. Graham became a close ally of the late anti-Trump Senator John McCain (R-AZ), and a staunch advocate for foreign interventionism in countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran, as well as mass immigration policies, including amnesty for illegal immigrants. However, in recent years, Graham has attempted to reposition himself as an ally of President Trump—while continuing to push for U.S military intervention in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

For Dans, Graham is emblematic of the careerist politicians who have enabled the administrative state that President Donald J. Trump is working to dismantle. “To be clear, I believe that there is a ‘deep state’ out there, and I’m the single one who stepped forward at the end of the first term of Trump and really started to drain the swamp,” Dan said, noting entities like the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are now working to identify bureaucratic waste.

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July 23, 2025
William Upton
Immigration
Politics

WATCH: Senator Facing Paxton Primary Challenge Loves Anti-Borders, Pro-Sanctuary Nonprofit.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is facing political backlash over resurfaced comments made on the Senate floor praising the far-left League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) political group, which advocates for open borders and mass immigration.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Sen. Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), Governor Greg Abbott (R), President Donald J. Trump, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and Texas Republican voters.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Cornyn’s remarks came during National Hispanic Heritage Month and resurfaced on social media on July 23, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “There is also the League of United Latin American Citizens, or as we know it, LULAC, that fights to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans—particularly when it comes to education.” — Sen. John Cornyn

🎯IMPACT: Cornyn is struggling to defend his Senate seat from a primary challenge launched by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a staunch ally of President Trump. The video is likely to cause further problems for Cornyn among Texas Republicans.

IN FULL

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is drawing backlash from Texas conservatives after a video surfaced of him praising the far-left League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) political group, which advocates for open borders and mass immigration. Notably, LULAC sued Texas in 2017 over legislation signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) ending sanctuary cities in the state.

Sen. Cornyn’s praise for LULAC is part of the Congressional Record. The Texas Republican highlighted the group on the Senate floor during National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15 every year.

“There is also the League of United Latin American Citizens, or as we know it, LULAC, that fights to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans—particularly when it comes to education,” Cornyn stated during his floor speech praising numerous Hispanic and immigrant advocacy groups.


Notably, in recent months, Cornyn has tried to reposition himself as being opposed to mass immigration while claiming to be an ally of President Donald J. Trump‘s America First agenda. Polling has shown Cornyn consistently trailing his Republican primary challenger, Trump ally and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), by a significant margin in the 2026 Senate race.

LULAC presents itself as a Hispanic and Latin-American civil rights organization; however, the group has consistently pushed a far-left political agenda, including educating illegal immigrants on legal maneuvers to frustrate federal immigration enforcement actions. Additionally, LULAC has joined campaigns in defense of abortion, far-left DEI programs, and Affirmative Action.

Concerningly, LULAC has joined other far-left groups in promoting anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) propaganda. LULAC has accused ICE of utilizing so-called “terror strikes” and “lightning attacks” to create an environment of “fear and anxiety” in the Hispanic community.

The group has received significant funding from the Tides Foundation, as well as the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Its current president, Domingo Garcia, is a long-time Texas Democrat politician and served as a member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for over a decade.

Cornyn actively opposed Trump’s 2024 bid to retake the White House until well after polling showed the America First leader was the only GOP candidate positioned to defeat the Democrats. The National Pulse reported in November 2023 that Cornyn admitted, “I was wrong,” regarding his opposition to Trump’s candidacy.

The resurfaced LULAC video is likely to cause further problems for Cornyn in Texas. Already, the Senator has seen defections, with Congressman Lance Gooden (R-TX) endorsing Paxton.

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July 22, 2025
Politics

Trump Backs Senator Who Backstabbed MAGA With ‘Fair’ 2020 Election Comments.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump issued an endorsement for GOP Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota, despite previously vowing never to support him again.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Senator Rounds, and voters in South Dakota.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The endorsement was made this week via Truth Social.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Mike Rounds has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” — President Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: The endorsement marks a significant shift in Trump’s stance toward the senator and could influence South Dakota’s political landscape.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump is backing U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) for re-election despite having pledged not to endorse the South Dakota lawmaker just three years ago. In 2022, Trump slammed Rounds after the senator described the 2020 election as “fair” during an appearance on ABC’s This Week. At the time, Trump referred to Rounds as a “weak and ineffective leader” and stated, “I will never endorse this jerk again.”

However, in a Truth Social post on Monday, President Trump announced he would once again endorse Sen. Rounds, after backing his candidacy in 2020 as well. “Senator Mike Rounds is an incredibly strong advocate for the wonderful people of South Dakota, a State I love, and WON BIG, in 2016, 2020, and 2024!” Trump wrote, continuing: “An America First Patriot, Mike is fighting tirelessly to Advance the Great Values of the Mount Rushmore State, Champion our Farmers and Ranchers, Strengthen the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Ensure American Energy DOMINANCE, Help Secure our already Highly Secure Border, Support our Brave Military, Veterans, and Law Enforcement, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment.”

President Trump concluded the post by stating: “Mike Rounds has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

While endorsements during U.S. midterm elections often focus on party unity and retention of Congressional majorities, Trump’s decision to back Rounds is surprising. The South Dakota Republican threw his support to fellow Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) during the 2024 Republican presidential primary and has clashed with President Trump’s policy agenda, especially the administration’s immigration stance at times.

Most recently, Rounds sought to reduce the size of federal funding cuts to NPR and PBS in President Trump’s rescission request. Along with Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rounds argued that public broadcasters are an essential service for Native American tribes and rural areas. Ultimately, the cuts to NRP and PBS were enacted, and Rounds voted in favor of the measure.

Image by World Economic Forum / Boris Baldinger.

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July 1, 2025
Politics

DOGE Dividend Guru and Trump Ally Forms PAC to Counter Musk.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Investor and Trump ally James Fishback launched the “Full Support for Donald” (FSD) PAC to counter Elon Musk’s political “antics.”

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: James Fishback, Elon Musk, President Donald J. Trump, and key Republican figures.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The FSD PAC was launched on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “If Elon actually launches a new party to take down Trump, I’m starting a Super PAC to defend the MAGA candidates he targets.” – James Fishback

🎯IMPACT: The PAC aims to protect Trump’s influence within the Republican Party and counter Musk’s potential third-party efforts.

IN FULL

James Fishback, a 30-year-old investor and ally of President Donald J. Trump, has launched the FSD PAC, a super PAC aimed at countering Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s political machinations. The PAC’s name, “Full Support for Donald,” is a direct jab at Tesla’s “Full Self Driving” technology.

Fishback, a former adviser for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) where Musk was also involved, stated that the PAC’s purpose is to ensure Musk does not undermine Trump’s influence within the Republican Party. “There’s real frustration in our movement with Elon and his antics,” Fishback told the media on Monday. He added that while he admires Musk’s private-sector accomplishments, he believes the South African immigrant is “dead wrong” in politics.

The move comes as Musk’s recent comments on X (formerly Twitter) reignited tensions with President Trump. Musk threatened to create a new political party, the “America Party,” in response to disagreements over Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ which enacts most of the America First leader’s domestic agenda, including stronger border security and immigration enforcement and tax cuts on tips and overtime. Fishback responded by pledging to defend Trump-endorsed candidates, saying, “If Elon actually launches a new party to take down Trump, I’m starting a Super PAC to defend the MAGA candidates he targets.”

Fishback, who founded the investment firm Azoria Partners, has committed $1 million of his own money to the PAC. He previously gained attention for his efforts to deliver DOGE dividends, which aimed to return savings from government cuts to taxpayers. His personal story, as the son of a bus driver and a Colombian immigrant, has also been a point of interest, with Fishback stating, “In ten years, I went from helping my dad sell watermelons on the side of the road to generating over $100 million in trading profits.”

Despite Fishback’s initiative, some GOP insiders downplayed Musk’s potential influence, noting his failed attempt to sway the Wisconsin Supreme Court race earlier this year. One Republican operative remarked, “He’s finished, done, gone. He polls terribly. People hate him.”

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May 27, 2025
Politics

Trump’s Campaign Chief and RNC COO is Now Working for RINO John Cornyn to Defeat Ken Paxton.

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: In an effort to keep President Donald J. Trump out of the 2026 U.S. Senate primary in Texas, a SuperPAC backing incumbent Senator John Cornyn has hired former Trump campaign chief and Republican National Committee (RNC) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Chris LaCivita as a senior advisor.

👥 Who’s Involved: Chris LaCivita, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), and President Trump.

📍 Where & When: LaCivita’s hiring was quietly announced late last week, though The National Pulse’s Editor-in-Chief, Raheem Kassam, first scooped the move on March 5, 2025.

⚠️ Impact: The Cornyn campaign appears to hope that LaCivita will keep President Trump from backing Paxton’s primary challenge and potentially turn the incumbent U.S. Senator’s prospects for re-election around. However, polling has consistently shown Cornyn to be running behind Paxton by double-digits, suggesting that the Texas Attorney General is on course to defeat the Republican-in-name-only incumbent even without an endorsement from the White House.

IN FULL:

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is bringing on board Chris LaCivita, a controversial campaign aide to President Donald J. Trump’s 2024 campaign, hoping to keep the President out of what is shaping up to be a contentious and expensive U.S. Senate primary. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), an America First conservative and Trump ally, is challenging Cornyn for the U.S. Senate seat. He has been hammering the Senator for his voting record, failure to support Trump, and resistance to the America First agenda.

The National Pulse Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassas reported in early March that LaCivita was poised to join the Cornyn campaign, despite Axios erroneously claiming the scoop just last week.

LaCivita is being tapped as a senior advisor for Texans for a Conservative Majority, a SuperPAC backing Cornyn’s re-election efforts. However, the long-time Republican political establishment operative continues to be viewed with skepticism—if not outright hostility—by many Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters over his efforts to sideline some of President Trump’s most loyal and ardent allies. The National Pulse has extensively covered LaCivita’s efforts to undermine MAGA and MAGA-adjacent efforts during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Notably, LaCivita was one of the primary instigators in attacking Project 2025, a move that led to a slow hiring process for the incoming Trump administration. The ramifications are still playing out across key departmental roles.

As co-campaign manager during the 2024 race, LaCivita pushed the Trump campaign to cave to a Democrat campaign to demonize Project 2025. At the time, it was reported that LaCivita had also led efforts to force out Project 2025 director Paul Dans at the Heritage Foundation in what was little more than a turf war over management of the second Trump administration.

In another disturbing instance during the 2024 campaign, LaCivita backed the takeover of America PAC by former DeSantis campaign operatives, who had been accused of running the Florida governor’s primary bid into the ground. This came after LaCivita attempted to install attorney Charlie Spies—a man with ties to Jeb Bush—as chief counsel at the Republican National Committee (RNC). Spies was fired from the RNC after just two months on the orders of President Trump.

Additionally, LaCivita has been accused of being behind numerous campaign leaks. The National Pulse reported in November 2024 that the co-campaign manager was behind leaks to The Atlantic‘s Tim Alberta, attempting to blame young staffer Alex Breusewitz for comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s late-campaign Puerto Rico garbage joke at Madison Square Garden.

There are also allegations that LaCivita diverted millions of campaign dollars to vendors that were overcharging for their services. Even more troubling, when campaign staff began to blow the whistle on the overcharges, at least one came forward and alleged that a campaign conference room had been bugged to allow senior staff to spy on their colleagues.

Following the 2024 U.S. presidential election, LaCivita began working with Albania’s Sali Berisha, an opposition leader against Prime Minister Edi Rama. Under U.S. sanctions, Berisha launched a failed bid for Prime Minister and lost the May 11, 2025, election to Rama. Five days before the election, the Trump administration lifted the sanctions.

Polling data consistently shows Paxton has a significant lead over Cornyn in the Texas Republican primary.

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May 23, 2025
William Upton
Politics

Trump Wants to Primary House GOP ‘Grandstanders’ Opposing the Big, Beautiful Bill.

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: President Donald J. Trump is considering backing primary challenges against the two Republican lawmakers who voted “no” on the House budget reconciliation bill, which advances several of his top priorities.

👥 Who’s Involved: President Donald J. Trump, Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Warren Davidson (R-OH).

📍 Where & When: The reconciliation bill passed the House early Thursday morning on May 22, 2025.

💬 Key Quote: “I don’t think he likes to see grandstanders in Congress,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked whether Trump believes the Republicans who voted “no” should be primaried.

⚠️ Impact: Both Massie and Davidson could face competitive primaries with a number of strong candidates now considering bids for their Congressional seats.

IN FULL:

President Donald J. Trump is considering backing primary challenges against the two Republican members of the House of Representatives who voted against his budget plan, according to the White House. Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Warren Davidson (R-OH) both voted against the reconciliation bill, while Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD)—who chairs the House Freedom Caucus—abstained from the vote.

“I believe he does. I don’t think he likes to see grandstanders in Congress,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked whether Trump believes the Republicans who voted “no” should be primaried. Earlier this week, President Trump singled out Rep. Massie specifically, labelling the Kentucky Republican a “grandstander” and someone who doesn’t “understand government.”

Subsequently, Massie began fundraising off of Trump’s comments. “I need your help. For having the audacity to say this bill does NOT repeal the green new deal, but DOES increase the deficit and debt substantially, I was threatened by Trump today, “Massie wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), adding: “Can you contribute to my reelection at this link?” In just over 24 hours, Massie raised around $23,000 for his re-election campaign—a number he excitedly touted on social media.

“Hundreds of you responded almost instantly with financial support for my reelection,” Massie wrote on Wednesday, adding: “Speaking truth to power has gotten me in hot water here in the swamp” and again linking to his campaign fundraising page.

Others have pushed back against the Kentucky lawmaker, noting that he voted for the 2023 debt ceiling deal, which saw the cap on spending suspended entirely until January 2025. Despite its eventual passage, 71 Republicans voted against the 2023 measure. Its adoption eventually led to the ouster of former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as the Speaker of the House—another move that Massie has criticized.

Massie, who was an outspoken backer of Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) during the 2024 Republican presidential primary, also opposed a Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s (R-FL) effort to censure then-Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) for peddling the Russiagate conspiracy against Trump and spending millions of taxpayer dollars investigating the false accusations. Rep. Davidson joined Massie in opposing the censure measure.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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May 12, 2025
William Upton
Politics

AOC Eyes Schumer Ouster, 2028 Presidential Bid.

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is using a series of cross-country rallies with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to consolidate support among progressive Democrats ahead of a potential primary challenge against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), or even a possible 2028 presidential run. The New York Congresswoman raised nearly $10 million in campaign cash during the first quarter of 2025.

👥 Who’s Involved: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Chuck Schumer, President Donald J. Trump, Democratic voters.

📍 Where & When: Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders kicked off their Fighting Oligarchy Tour in February with recent rallies in Colorado, California, and Arizona.

💬 Key Quote: “We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us,” Rep. Ocasio-Cortez argued at a recent rally in Tempe, Arizona. “I want you to look at every level of office around and support Democrats who fight, because those are the ones who can actually win against Republicans.”

⚠️ Impact: The Fighting Oligarchy Tour has positioned Ocasio-Cortez, a radical progressive, as a leading anti-Trump voice in the Democratic Party, fueling speculation she may soon launch a primary challenge to Sen. Schumer or launch a 2028 presidential bid.

IN FULL:

Disaffected Democrats and political progressives are rallying around the far-left populist message espoused by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), fueling increasing speculation that the 35-year-old New York Democrat may mount a primary challenge to 74-year-old Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) or even launch a 2028 presidential bid. Since late February, Ocasio-Cortez—often referred to as AOC—has been holding large rallies across the country with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as part of the Fighting Oligarchy Tour, resulting in the progressive Congresswoman raising nearly $10 million in the first quarter of 2025.

In March, a Fighting Oligarchy Tour rally in Denver, Colorado, featuring AOC and Sanders, drew a reported 34,000 attendees—eclipsing the crowds drawn during Sen. Sanders’s previous two presidential campaigns and dwarfing all other Democratic Party events that month. Subsequently, an April rally in Los Angeles, California, drew an estimated 36,000 people. The rallies often feature calls for Rep. Ocasio-Cortez to primary Sen. Chuck Schumer. AOC and progressive Democrats contend he was too quick to cave to President Trump and Congressional Republicans on a government funding bill.

“We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us,” Rep. Ocasio-Cortez argued at a recent rally in Tempe, Arizona. “I want you to look at every level of office around and support Democrats who fight, because those are the ones who can actually win against Republicans.”

While AOC’s cross-country tour and rallies with Sanders have energized the Democratic Party’s far-left progressive faction, more moderate party leaders worry that the New York Congresswoman’s radical message will alienate independent voters. However, absent any other standard bearers stepping forward and gaining traction, Ocasio-Cortez, with the backing of Sanders, appears to be quickly consolidating her position as one of the Democratic Party’s most vocal anti-Trump leaders.

Despite not having ruled out a potential 2028 bid for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, AOC is believed to be best positioned to challenge Schumer for his Senate seat. Several House Democrats have encouraged their progressive colleague to mount a primary campaign, with Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) stating, “I’ve already said it: Senate looks good.”

Image by Matt Johnson.

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April 30, 2025
Politics
The Resistance

Kamala Harris Charges for Speech Targeting Trump.

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Former Vice President Kamala Harris (D) will make her first significant public remarks since leaving the White House following President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration in January. Harris will address attendees at the Emerge gala in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday.

👥 Who’s Involved: Kamala Harris, the Emerge organization, former Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D), New Mexico state Sen. Cindy Nava (D), and former Biden government Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

📍 Where & When: The Emerge gala is being held in San Francisco on Wednesday, April 30, marking the organization’s 20th anniversary.

💬 Key Quote: The former Democratic Vice President is expected to attack President Trump during her speech, framing his policies as “ongoing threats to American institutions and global leadership.”

⚠️ Impact: Harris is considering a gubernatorial bid for California in 2026, with a decision anticipated by the end of the summer.

IN FULL:

San Francisco is set to host former Vice President Kamala Harris as she delivers her first major speech post-White House departure at the Emerge organization’s 20th anniversary gala later on Wednesday. Harris, who was defeated in a landslide by President Donald J. Trump in the 2024 presidential election, is expected to use the address to attack the America First leader and his administration as “ongoing threats to American institutions and global leadership.”

The Emerge organization—a political non-profit that recruits and promotes Democratic women as candidates for office—is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Harris will headline the event along with several other Democratic women, including former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), the 2025 Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Virginia. Additionally, the gala will feature remarks from Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D), New Mexico state Sen. Cindy Nava (D), and former Biden government Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

While Harris’s attendance and speech are likely to fuel speculation regarding her political future, those wishing to livestream the address will have to pay a $25 fee to Emerge. The group has declined to provide a free video feed of the gala and Harris’s remarks. Democratic Party insiders believe that the former Vice President is contemplating a run for California governor in 2026, with a decision on her potential candidacy anticipated by the end of the summer.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Kamala Harris catered to the Democratic Party’s far-left progressive faction, adopting its extreme rhetoric to attack President Trump and his supporters. The decision to embrace more radical, progressive rhetoric and policies, despite downplaying her even more radical past, is widely considered to have played a significant role in Harris’s presidential election loss.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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April 28, 2025
Politics

Stefanik Surges Ahead in New York GOP Governor Primary.

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: A poll indicates Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) holds a significant lead in the Republican primary for New York governor and is narrowing the gap against incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY).

👥 Who’s Involved: Rep. Elise Stefanik, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R).

📍 Where & When: New York, based on a survey conducted from April 22-24, 2025, by GrayHouse.

💬 Key Quote: “I’ll make my decision solely based on whether or not I believe there’s a pathway to win,” said Rep. Lawler.

⚠️ Impact: Stefanik’s strong favorability among Republicans and Independents could challenge Hochul’s position in the 2026 gubernatorial election.

IN FULL:

Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) could emerge as a formidable contender in the race for New York governor, according to a GrayHouse poll conducted in late April 2025. The poll surveyed 826 registered voters and found Stefanik with a commanding lead in the Republican primary, at 44 percent support, leaving Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R) trailing far behind. Lawler received seven percent and Blakeman garnered five percent, with 44 percent of respondents undecided.

Stefanik, who has a net favorability of +47 among Republicans, also enjoys positive sentiments from Independents. This stands in contrast to Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is facing a net job approval rating of -18, with 55 percent of voters expressing disapproval. Hochul’s favorability has slightly improved recently, marking a shift from a previous Siena College poll.

The poll suggests that if the gubernatorial election were held today, Hochul would attract 46 percent of the vote against Stefanik’s 40 percent, while 14 percent remain undecided. Against Lawler, Hochul would lead with 45 percent to his 38 percent, and against Blakeman, she would maintain a lead of 44 percent to 36 percent.

Lawler plans to decide by June whether he will enter the race, focusing on his perceived ability to pose a viable challenge to Hochul. “I’ll make my decision solely based on whether or not I believe there’s a pathway to win,” Lawler commented during a recent media interview. He added: “Ultimately, we will make a decision on who can make the best case to New Yorkers and defeat Kathy Hochul. Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about.”

Support for change appears significant, with 61 percent of New Yorkers indicating it is time for a new leader. Meanwhile, only 18 percent expressed a willingness to re-elect Hochul, and just nine percent were firm in their choice to do so.

The National Pulse previously reported that Stefanik’s nomination for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations was withdrawn after it became apparent that her congressional seat is critical to maintaining the Republican majority in the House.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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November 13, 2024
Politics

Poll Shows Kamala Harris as Frontrunner for California Governorship.

Vice President Kamala Harris‘s political career may not have ended with her landslide defeat by President-elect Donald J. Trump in the 2024 election. A recent survey of California voters suggests Harris would hold a significant advantage if she opts to run for governor of the state in 2026.

Nearly half of voters surveyed say they would likely support Harris in a crowded gubernatorial race, according to a poll conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. Among Democrats, who double the number of registered Republicans, 72 percent expressed potential support for Harris, compared to eight percent of Republicans and 38 percent of independents.

Harris’s commanding lead in a hypothetical 2026 California gubernatorial race is likely partly due to her near-universal name recognition and elevated voter interest following the 2024 presidential race. “Nearly all voters in this state have an opinion of her, and that’s really the big advantage that she brings to an early poll,” said Mark DiCamillo, director of UC Berkeley’s IGS Poll. “None of the other candidates are as well known to the voting public.”

HIGH NEGATIVES?

While Harris’s high name identification could be a boon to a run for the California governor’s mansion, her political career in the state is not viewed positively by all residents. Harris has been accused of flaunting state ethics rules as both a district attorney and as California’s Attorney General.

While working in a district attorney‘s office, Harris failed to disclose her romantic relationship with the powerful California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. Due to this relationship, Harris reportedly received lucrative appointments to several state boards. As Attorney General, Harris dropped a fraud investigation into the health supplement company Herbalife after a large political donation from Heather Podesta, a powerful Democrat lobbyist and member of the Podesta family tied to the company.

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Vice President Kamala Harris's political career may not have ended with her landslide defeat by President-elect Donald J. Trump in the 2024 election. A recent survey of California voters suggests Harris would hold a significant advantage if she opts to run for governor of the state in 2026. show more